I've often wondered why the GOP runs mentally deficient

[shraby]

candidates. Since and including Reagan, their candidates were just plain stupid. They even were thinking about running Quayle. It dawned on me..finally. People like that are very easy to manipulate. They don't have the ability to think through a situation to it's logical conclusion.

The manipulators can just point them in the direction they want them to go and bingo! They go full tilt in that direction until pointed in another. Never mind the consequences because the person being manipulated can't see them. Their thinking doesn't carry them that far.

This covers congress and governors and others in positions of making laws. Think of Walker, that fellow in GA who is trying to make miscarriages a felony, Texas legislators, Arizona and leatherface. It goes on and on. I don't know what the answer is, but restricting campaign donations to the state/district where the donor lives might help much. No money should be able to cross state or district lines.

The only race that would be able to cross state/district lines would be for the presidency because that is the ONLY national political race.

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. Clarity of purpose.

Stupid people are untroubled by introspection.

[csziggy]

2. They make better sock puppets n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Is it mental deficiency or lack of character or just abject amorality?

[shraby]

4. Probably a combination of all.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

7. That's my thought, these people aren't just immoral

but demonstrable amoral.

[BuelahWitch]

5. The only requirement is that they be able to repeat talking points

at will and be (somewhat) pretty.

[gratuitous]

6. Our faultless media are involved, as well

The whole thing falls apart or at least begins flaking away if there's a journalist asking questions. But following up some dimwit pronouncement with the incredibly difficult-to-think-of question of "What do you mean by your dimwit pronouncement?" is beyond the capability of our current cohort of the Fourth Estate. Politicians and their handlers are confident that nobody will follow up with a question, because "everyone knows" what's being said, and too much detail would spoil the illusion.

[shraby]

8. Huckabee just stated that gay men are behind the

nation's crisis of deadbeat dads. Some enterprising journalist should have him explain that statement so the rest of us could understand what he means. I just makes no sense whatsoever.
Like I said, the powers that be like to back weak minds and Huckabee definitely has one if he is talking this way.

[Dan]

9. easy answer,

so they can relate and speak to their base.

[MineralMan]

10. Because they're contemptuous of the voters. That's why, IMO.

They believe, and with some reason, that the voters don't care, and will elect stupid candidates, as long as those candidates say the things that will get them elected, according to the script.

They may be right, too, especially when intelligent people who care stay away from the polls for one reason or another.

Please see my signature line.

[HughBeaumont]

11. Because only sociopath assholes are capable of delivering dumbed-down talking points in cold blood?

A stable educated person with morals and a conscience (let's add that, because it's a must) would look at concepts like "Trickle Down", "Regressive Tax", "WMD", "Waronterr" and "private health insurance" and toss them in the air with a "You can't be serious" or worse.

[bemildred]

12. You don't want tools to think for themselves.

But you do want tools to think they think for themselves. That requires a certain amount of stupid.

[Courtesy Flush]

13. I never thought of McCain as mentally deficient

But boy o boy did they manipulate him.